The present invention relates to an information retrieval system through which users can retrieve relevant information that is related to audio/visual information while audio/visual information such as music and movies are distributed to the users within a limited communications area.
Shops that sell package media such as CDs and DVDs play promotional audio/visual information via speakers and monitors in the shops. Not only that, these shops play music and video themselves via speakers and monitors within such small spaces so as not make people (users) tired in the shops.
Users can watch or listen to such promotional audio/visual information in many places in addition to those shops.
Users may take interest in those promotional audio/visual information while watching or listening and want know relevant information (for example, titles and artists for music or titles and actors for movies). They, however, can rarely get such relevant information in CD shops through posters or sales clerks.
Users may get such relevant information via a general information retrieval system as follows:
They can get those information through posters displayed or monitors set near speakers via which they listen to audio information such as music, posters displayed near monitors via which they watch visual information such as movies or telops running on such monitors.
Users can ask audio/visual information providers about those relevant information if they know the providers. Moreover, such information may be retrieved via hand-held device (user's device) or terminal set in CD shops using keywords for titles of audio/visual information or for makers or composers of those information.
It is, however, a heavy burden for managers who manage CD shops or other in which audio/visual information are played, to update relevant information while providing relevant information through posters displayed or monitors set near speakers via which they listen to audio information such as music, posters displayed near monitors via which they watch visual information such as movies or telops running on such monitors.
Moreover, if there is no information peculiar to audio/visual information and usable as keywords, relevant information cannot be retrieved via hand-held device or terminal set in CD shops.
Japanese Un-Examined Patent Publication No. 8-154074 discloses a communications system in combination of FM-broadcasting and public telephone network.
This system requires frequency allocation to several shops, that want to distribute information via this system, when they are located closely, which further forces users to check the frequency for each shop or adjust frequencies for their hand-held devices.
Use of broadcasting as a means of information distribution in an area in which several shops are located closely, as explained above, is not usable and causes several problems.
Moreover, information could be lost once retrieved if users do not have any means of recording the information or a telephone number for the shops.
Japanese Un-Examined Patent Publication No. 11-65494 discloses an information distribution system in which users visit particular sites and get information via their own hand-held devices.
In this system, when users take an interest in hanging posters or sign boards at shops or other sites, they can get information from devices for providing information attached on the hanging posters or sign boards to their hand-held devices by wireless communications.
However, users have to get detailed information at shops or other sites, so that it takes long or they need a large capacity for the memories of their hand-held device. Or, they have to receive unnecessary information.
In these systems, it is hard for users to have access to relevant information on audio/visual information or to know how to buy goods related to the audio/visual information when they watch or listen to the information.